Never remove wax from your base with natural or synthetic cleaners. They are not recommended by ski manufacturers. Hot-wax scraping (see below) will enable your skis to run faster as the season goes on. You can use these wax cleaners to clean tools and scrapers.

Keep all tools clean. There are wire brushes for files and diamond stones clean well with a sink cleanser like "Ajax" and water.

yeah i can see how it can dry it out pretty badly if you use too much. but i only use it at the end of the season to clean off the crap from spring conditions. and i pour a little on the cloth and try to wipe it off. if it doesn't take enough off, i then put a little more. i think that warning is for people who pour it all over.

this is what i saw on the site:

BASE CLEANER
TIP
A leading p-tex manufacturer advises that to help minimize any chance of reduced
wax absorption after cleaning ski or snowboard bases, wax solvents should not
be poured directly on a base, but rather sprayed or dripped onto a clean, lint-free
cloth or piece of fiberlene or base tex paper, and the base cleaned with the
cloth.

I just think for my own personal reasons that if the boards manufactures say not to use these base cleaners there might be a suitable reason behind it, on the other hand we are not professional racers so will it effect us on the mountain enough to really notice, for me I just want the longest life out of my board and if avoiding base cleaners can extend the life of my board, why not? Good luck and stay safe on the mountain.

yeah i can see how it can dry it out pretty badly if
you use too much. but i only use it at the end of the season to clean
off the crap from spring conditions.

This is exactly when you shouldn't use base cleaner... at the end of the season. At the very least, if you do use base cleaner, apply a generous layer of hot wax on your board before you store it so that the base doesn't dry out in the offseason.

yeah i can see how it can dry it out pretty badly if you use too much. but i only use it at the end of the season to clean off the crap from spring conditions. and i pour a little on the cloth and try to wipe it off. if it doesn't take enough off, i then put a little more. i think that warning is for people who pour it all over.

this is what i saw on the site:

BASE CLEANER
TIP
A leading p-tex manufacturer advises that to help minimize any chance of reduced
wax absorption after cleaning ski or snowboard bases, wax solvents should not
be poured directly on a base, but rather sprayed or dripped onto a clean, lint-free
cloth or piece of fiberlene or base tex paper, and the base cleaned with the
cloth.

I do the same thing at the end of the season. In the spring my board gets sooo dirty and I have a white bottom. I get what I can off with hot scraping but what I cant I take off with that I take off with OBJ Citrus base cleaner (little tiny bit goes a long way) then before my boards go away for the season they get a nice fresh wax. I guess its your own personal preferance but that works okay for me and my buds

they must have changed the format a little because there wasn't a section that matched the phrase hot wax and base clean. I did read that a solvent or cleaner should be applied to a towel first and oh wait did they forget to mention to dilute it first!?! anyone who's going to dump a bottle of simple green or paint thinner on there deck and call it clean doesn't deserve to ride a snowboard they make these things called, oh what are they called directional skis?

they must have changed the format a little because there wasn't a section that matched the phrase hot wax and base clean. I did read that a solvent or cleaner should be applied to a towel first and oh wait did they forget to mention to dilute it first!?! anyone who's going to dump a bottle of simple green or paint thinner on there deck and call it clean doesn't deserve to ride a snowboard they make these things called, oh what are they called directional skis?

I would NEVER use either of those on any of my rides but simple green green might be okay because its all natural and the ingredients in it are not very strong. Still both of those are a no go for me though. The thing about putting base cleaner on a rag first is right on for sure and good call on diluting it a bit. One thing people need to remember when using base cleaner other than what you have mentioned is a little bit goes a lonnnnnng way for sure.

ya hot scraping is way better, the bottom of your board is poarus like your skin so it soaks in the wax, the cleaner can do the same the oils in it are bad for the base, if you haave never hot scraped b4 try it, its no biggy and suppose to be excellent for your base

There are times when base cleaner does come in handy. The wax that builds up in your base can, and will, trap dirt and all kindsa nastiness over time.

I normally go over my boards with base cleaner at the end of the season - before throwing a heavy layer of wax on for summer storage. It just pulls all the built-up crud and dirt out of the base that otherwise would just be sitting there all year. Every so often over the summer - I check to make sure the bases aren't drying out - and if they are, give it a quick once over with some fresh wax (don't scrape before storing).

The other time I use base cleaner, is if my boards get seriously fouled up during the early season. You get thin spots, rocks, treestumps, etc - and you end up with all sorts of dirt and gunk in there again. Base cleaner will pull all that stuff out - and give you a nice fresh slate to work with, so you can build up a good fast base for the peak season.

Hot scraping works for day-to-day stuff, but there's times where it's just not enough. It will get surface gunk out pretty well - but if you have dirt and grime really mashed into your board - it simply will not work.

That dirt and gunk will effect your board's ability to absorb fresh wax - and cause many problems in terms of actually having a fast board. If you're careful with the cleaner, the results of cleaning with chemicals can be far superior to that of just hot scraping and hoping it gets all the dirt out.

The key is just to know when and how to use it. Use it as little as possible, as rarely as possible.

unfortunately, base cleaner* may be the only option that will get all that stubborn spring dirt off your base...or at least the only real option for us basic, non-pro snowboarders

that dirt impregnated wax is hard to get off, but don't be tempted to just pour base cleaner on the base and walk away - don't let it sit! Instead, pour it on a cloth and just keep rubbing the base just until the dirt is gone...then hot wax immediately

you may want to wait until the season is over to use any base cleaner... that way, after cleaning, you can just melt a fat storage layer of wax on there for summer

"BASE CLEANER TIP
A leading p-tex manufacturer advises that to help minimize any chance of reduced wax absorption after cleaning ski or snowboard bases, wax solvents should not be poured directly on a base, but rather sprayed or dripped onto a clean, lint-free cloth or piece of fiberlene or base tex paper, and the base cleaned with the cloth."

lol, pretty decent overview of waxing though, but this is too much for an average consumer, this really does mean much to anyone, unless your actually competing

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum